Rakshasini forest land in Assam’s Goalpara district has become the centre of local opposition following allegations that about 550 hectares could be allotted for industrial purposes.
Residents and local groups are questioning the reported move, saying the forest should be protected. The allegation comes as authorities have recently stepped up action against encroachment.
Residents question reported industrial plan
The opposition centres on the alleged proposal involving Rakshasini forest land. Residents fear that industrial development could affect forest cover, wildlife habitats and the local environment.
However, the reported allotment has not been independently established through an official government order available in public records reviewed for this report. The issue remains an allegation, not a confirmed decision.
The concern has gained attention because Rakshyasini, also spelled Rakhyasini in government records, is a proposed reserve forest in Goalpara. A 2025 Assam Legislative Assembly document listed Raikhushini among Goalpara’s proposed reserve forests, with an approximate area of 6,810 acres.
Forest protection remains a key issue
The dispute comes against a wider forest protection drive in Goalpara. In July, Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah inspected the Tharkonalbari and Rakhyasini Pahar Proposed Reserve Forests.
The minister’s visit followed eviction drives and the process of converting proposed reserve forest land into reserve forest. Officials also reviewed alleged encroachment and discussed measures to strengthen protection.
Mallabaruah said the rights of indigenous people would be protected, while stressing that encroachment on forest land would not be allowed. He also linked forest protection to efforts to reduce human-elephant conflict in the district.
The government’s stated focus on conservation has added significance to the debate over Rakshasini forest land. Residents are now seeking clarity on whether any industrial allotment has been formally approved or proposed.
550 hectares raises environmental concerns
The figure of 550 hectares has also become a point of confusion in the wider Goalpara forest debate. In September 2024, the Goalpara divisional forest officer said nine eviction exercises over the previous year had cleared nearly 550 hectares of encroached forest land.
That figure referred to forest land cleared through anti-encroachment operations, not an industrial allotment. The distinction is important as residents now oppose an alleged proposal involving a similar area.
Officials have previously said that cleared forest areas would be restored through afforestation and made more suitable for elephant movement. Goalpara has long faced human-elephant conflict, making the condition and connectivity of forest habitats an important local issue.
Existing industrial activity adds to debate
Goalpara already has designated industrial areas, including the Industrial Growth Centre at Matia. Government pollution-control records list industrial units operating in and around the district.
Records from the Assam pollution-control consent system list businesses in the Rakshyasini area, including a tea industry. They also show industrial activity at the Matia Industrial Growth Centre. These records, however, do not by themselves establish that 550 hectares of proposed reserve forest land is being allotted for a new industrial project.
Therefore, residents’ demand for transparency is likely to focus on the exact land parcels, their legal status and the authority behind any proposed transfer.
Calls grow for clarity on Rakshasini forest land
The controversy places environmental protection, industrial development and land rights at the centre of a sensitive local debate. Residents opposing the alleged plan want the government to clarify whether any formal proposal exists and whether the forest status of the land would be affected.
At the same time, authorities have publicly stressed forest conservation and action against encroachment in the Rakshyasini area. The recent inspection by the forest minister indicates that protection of the proposed reserve forest remains an active government concern.
For now, the reported industrial allotment remains an allegation rather than a confirmed government decision. Any move involving Rakshasini forest land would need clear public documentation and scrutiny, particularly given the area’s forest status and the district’s continuing human-elephant conflict concerns.
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